Almaty Airport

Not Verified | An absolute shambles of a place. Far too small for its purpose and extremely disorganised. Signage from domestic arrivals to international departures are not clear and security staff do nothing to stop people pushing and shoving and jumping the queue as you scan your luggage. The tiny check in area is shared with passport control so the lines intermingle with not enough staff. The waiting area is dark too small with nowhere near enough seating so that the whole place is crowded with people standing. Announcements are not clear and insufficient toilets for the crowds that build up. One of the worst airport experiences I've ever had. This is my second visit to Kazakhstan and I'm unlikely to return due to the surly staff and unorganized airport.

✅ Trip Verified | Completely pure disorganization by arrival. No announcement in English or in very poor quality without a chance to understand. Passport control was very crowded, no coordination via local airport staff, it took about 2.5h to pass the passport control. Very poor organization of luggage. Fast track was not possible

✅ Trip Verified | Business class passengers are whisked away by VIP service only if they pay for this service. Other business passengers have to join other passengers as the Fast Track lanes are blocked. In the baggage hall there were not enough trolleys, for a small gift the officials find you one!

✅ Trip Verified | The business "lounge" at this airport is ridiculous. Everything - even water - has to be paid for. The free "snacks" are disgusting, cheap, worthless Turkish sweets. You (or airlines) basically pay for access to a bar where you can buy drinks and food. Can't believe this.

✅ Trip Verified | Almaty airport international departure lounge is only one hall, where everyone on all flights is jammed together. Extremely small space. The cafeteria available there are horrible to put it best, there is a Starbucks with very few tables. The cleanliness is substandard. Try not going to the toilets if you can: it is just a psychologically traumatic experience: the smell is horrible, not clean, often no paper towels available, the soap dispensers are just unpleasant to touch. Business class lounge at Almaty Airport is a huge scam, do not go there. It has very small space, poorly ventilated, all airlines crammed into one room, and the scam is that they charge for everything there, including for water, at overpriced rates. The security procedure is ridiculous. The passport control check passport and checks the face matches passport. The security check is roughly 10 meters after passport control, where there is a separate counter with someone checking passport and asking to show face. Now, the funniest part is that right after the counter, literally after taking 3-5 steps, there is another person who asks to show passport and checking the face again. I am not joking, this is seriously being done by people at the airport, literally three separate passport and face checks within 20 meters. Almaty Airport is a disgrace, shame to the country and to beautiful city of Kazakhstan.

✅ Trip Verified | My first time transiting in Almaty. Kazakhstan, being an resource rich country, I expected that the airport of their largest city to be at least an international airport. I was most disappointed. 1) The business class lounge - guests must pay $26/pax to have snacks. All drinks are chargeable except for hot water, tea and instant coffee. There is no shower and no service. The ladies who work there really could not be bothered to serve anyone except to remind any guests who walk nearby the snack table that the snacks were chargeable. And guests are not allowed to bring drink/food from outside. Air Astana really needs to build their own lounge instead of using one provided by the airport. Being a Emerald frequent flyer under One World, I know I am spoilt at the First Class Lounges around the world. But this lounge in Almaty borderlines to be offensive. 2) Stairs, stairs and more stairs. This airport cannot be used by those who have disability or travel with baby strollers. There are stairs everywhere - first down from the air-bridge to transfer security, then up the stairs again to the gates. There is actually an elevator - but their are locked and guests are not allowed to use it. 3) Limited choices of food - there is only snacks and coffees. Do not plan to have a dinner in this airport while waiting for your flight. 4) Service - Lack of it. The Air Astana team is helpful. But other than them, service is so poor from the security team, to immigration as well as the waiting staff at those food stalls. Overall - avoid this airport if you have a choice.

✅ Trip Verified | Not good for transit passengers. Staff are polite and helpful but nowhere to relax/sleep in a darker and quiet area. No ATMs/shops/food outlets, just a cafe upstairs. Toilets clean. Electric socket near where I was sitting didn't work. I obtained wifi with the help of someone as there seems to be no airport wifi. This lounge is just a square room, brightly lit, with toilets/chairs and a few coffee tables. Please improve our flying experience.

✅ Trip Verified | The airport itself is very small. I experienced huge crowds at the entrance of the terminal for the first security check line. The same at the passport control. Waiting area for departure is too small. On the way to the aircraft you have to deal with no escalators and elevators are too small. Terminal announcements on the departing and arriving flights were made permanently, even if I was traveling internationally I was forced to hear information on domestic flights.

Most of the flights use the gates, but even though they are empty many low-cost flights (all except Air Astana, Etihad etc) use the ramps. The staff were reasonably friendly, and the immigration process was no bother compared to Tashkent Airport. The airport itself is too small. One of my friends in Business class decided to not use the lounge because it was just rubbish. The staff don't really care if the people in the business class lounge talk loudly or anything. The airport's check-in could be improved, and the domestic arrivals hall has too many taxi drivers trying to find customers. Food choice is also limited, but the duty free was actually pretty decent. However, I would not use this airport again, but I have to next year.

Agree with other reports that this airport lacks most of the conveniences which a frequent traveller expects. What is worse is that the Airport authorities don't take any of these comments seriously. Even frequent travelers qualifying for a lounge are disappointed, as the lounge lacks free drinks, free food and internet access. The staff just does not care. Avoid this airport if you can.